By fire and blood
by Trapuccino
Summary: Attempting to unleash an ancient prophecy, a group of powerful witches leadered by John Blacwell kidnap children from specific bloodlines including Cassie and Jake. After two years such prophecy was proven not to exist and all children were returned but Cassie whom Blackwell has other plans for. Better summary inside!
1. Chapter 1

**Warning, if there is romance is not going to be "Twilight" style which is obssessive and fast grown love, they can't fall in love after two meetings. Also, there will be swearing and various topics will be discussed.**

**If you like it, then please write a review saying that. If you don't like it, you could also write a review about it. A simple I like it/I don't like it will suffice, you can even copy this and use it! Just, review. If you have written something you know how important reviews are, otherwise I just won't continue it.**

**Thanks to my beta reader Ayres Kelle and SarcasmSpeaksVolumes!**

Jake woke up. The dream was still fresh in his mind, and it was not until his mind got clearer that he realized it was that; just a dream. The room was dark but not completely, he could see the silhouettes of the other beds and he could hear the breathings of the children asleep; there was another noise, however, a continuing sob, one that he knew all too well.

He swallowed hard, concern clouding his mind. He checked to see if anybody was awake, or worse, if they were being watched again but that was not the case, so he slid off his bed and walked to where he knew she would be. He did this slowly so as not to scare her; she was already in a fragile state. Once he got to the bed he peeped under it and saw her thanks to the light filtering from under the bedroom door.

Cassie was under her bed bracing her legs, her face buried between her knees trying to make the crying stop. Jake felt his heart sink. He was barely seven but he was very mature for his age, after all growing in a place like that did that to them. Cassie was five, two years younger, but she was also mature; even more than kids Jake's age. She was very strong as well. Most kids had not been able to stand what Cassie did one time, and she had been put to it at least once a week lately.

"Cass," he whispered low. The little girl froze for a second before she recognized him. She lifted her face and gave him a little smile.

"Jake," She was so happy to see him that she put her suffering a side, something Jake was grateful for.

Jake returned her smile, "Make some room" he said and she instantly complied, moving so he could get there with her.

"It wasn't so bad," Cassie said when he was finally lying next to her.

"Did they do it again?" he asked with a frown, knowing she was lying.

Cassie nodded and took one arm from her legs holding it in front of him. Jake took her hand with tenderness and examined the wound closely. He could see a deep burn going from her wrist and to her elbow; it was the same as the last ones. Jake felt his anger rose but said nothing; instead he kissed her palm and wished for it to heal as he always did. For some reason it seemed to work, and after a few hours the mark was gone.

"Thank you," Cassie said smiling. How she could always smile in spite of everything was a wonder, one Jake always welcomed.

"What do you think they are trying to do Jake?" Cassie asked after a moment of silence. She had known for a long time that they were all there for a reason. They were special, they said. She couldn't remember when she got there although she knew it had been around two years ago. She couldn't recall anything before that time, only after the first session.

_A man had taken her to an empty room with other people. He had been nice and comforting but something hadn't felt right. The place had been surrounded by a dark and oppressing energy, and she didn't like that. Even when they had made deep cuts in her hands and ignored her pleads, they still behaved nicely towards her, tried to keep her calmed. They did not want to hurt her they said, nor to the other kids, but they were the means to an end, one they had to accomplish._

_A few days had passed when she met Jake. Ever since she got to the house she chose to stay alone, she used to sit in the same spot and played whatever she liked. One day she was building a brick house with a patio, garage, and pool when she felt eyes on her. She turned and saw a kid she had noticed before, he was quiet but didn't need to talk much, he liked to play in a table at the left of the room with some other kids. He smiled at her and she smiled back before she went back to her game._

_The next day she saw him in the small dining room, and when he caught her glance she smiled again and nodded hello, he smiled back his eyes warmer that time. That same day when she sat in a corner to play he sat with her and played in silence, she didn't question him nor did he questioned her. When play time was over they went together to class and began to talk. Soon they found out that the talking was even more comfortable than the silence and they shared everything, making a promise to always be honest and hide little if nothing, either good or bad._

"I don't know," he said "but it's changing don't you think?" He had noticed how things had began to slow down. It had been months since they brought back another kid, and although the times Cassie had been taken had increased, the other kids had been left alone. Jake did not like what they were doing to her but he had a feeling it would come to a stop.

Cassie nodded again but her mind was far away. She yawned and Jake put his arms around her making off his chest her pillow and in less than a few seconds they were both asleep.

John Blackwell watched the scene with mild interest from behind the door, a window spell allowed him not to be seen by the kids.

The prophecy was false; five years of research had come up with that result, Cassie's last experiments minutes ago had proven that. How or why such a lie became so important in history was of little importance now. All the time and effort had been for nothing. After some deliberation, all participant witches agreed to let the children go; with their memory wiped of course. Normally they would not have cared less about rat labs but this was not the case, this were witches. Maybe not as strong as them but witches nonetheless and they had earned the right to live. Cassie however was different, she was his daughter, and she would grow up to be an extremely powerful witch. She had already proven this by her resistance to the curses they had put her under, surviving with nothing but a small burn that healed in little time. She was special, there was something else about her, he knew it and respected her for that.

Blackwell had had many children for this task but the weaker ones had died and he did not mourn them. Did he love Cassie? He cared for her yes, and was proud that his own flesh and blood was such a feisty and mighty witch, but he did not know if he could love nor did he care either.

"Are they ready?" a red haired woman dressed in black jeans, a white t-shirt, running shoes and a parka, asked. He nodded and she called the others who soon appeared at his side.

The job was quick; they put the children in an induced dream and worked on the spell that would delete the memories from their time there so they could return to their families without being able to disclose any information of what had happened. However, Blackwell would not let Cassie to go back with Amelia; he knew her too well and was sure she would be stupid enough not to let Cassie know about her inheritance, not even the magic from Amelia's side.

She would grow to be a complete ignorant of her powers and he could not allow it. It wasn't just morally wrong but also dangerous. If Cassie grew unaware of her magic she would have no idea of how to use it, let alone control it, it could be extremely dangerous for her.

The preoccupation that had assaulted him when he realized this would be the case was dissipated two months ago when he heard that Amelia had given birth to another child, a boy son of Conant. Now the circle was complete and Cassie wouldn't have to return so that it would be so. Although it was slightly disappointing that there was no Blackwell blood in it he was comforted by the knowledge Cassie was the rightful member of the circle and she just had to go back for the boy to be casted away. If that was not the case, he would kill the boy and problem solved. Nevertheless he knew this would not happen since he didn't want Cassie in _that _circle. So he would delete her memories of her previous family, making sure she did not try to go back to them.

Now that the Armstrong boy would return he had to make sure Amelia would stop looking for Cassie, and the most effective way was by faking her death. He already had the corpse of a dead girl which he would curse and would be, for all purposes, Cassie. His daughter, since he could not carry a child with him, would be raised by a coven that would provide her with not only the skills she needs but also the love that any child can desire, for he was not ignorant of this fact, and he had once been a child just like Cassie.

"What are you doing?" a sleepy childish voice asked them. John, who had been checking on the work of the rest before he went to Cassie turned around and faced his daughter. She seemed calmed, she always did little brave thing never showed any fear, but he could tell she was worried. As she stared at the witches working, Cassie held the asleep boy next to her tighter.

Blackwell walked toward her with a sympathetic smile and said, "Nothing honey," in his mind chanted a spell and as he ran his fingers down her cheek he told her "Go back to sleep" and although it took some seconds Cassie fell asleep, her head resting on the little boy's chest.

He stood up and casted the spell that would make them forget.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to kira66 and Supernatural lover-95 for your vote of confidence! Unfortunately only a couple of people have seen the story, not to whine but it is a bit dissapointing so this will probably be the last chapter that I post. Goodbye people! Have a wonderful day!**

"What's this?" Amelia asked taking a plastic container off the fridge and looking at it suspiciously. It had a light-blue kind of dough inside and she couldn't figure out what it was, or what it was doing in the fridge.

"It's mine!" Adam's excited voice came from the stairs, she turned and watched as the little boy who was still wearing pajamas came running to her and took the recipient from her hands smiling. "It's magic dough Ami" the boy said taking off the lid and extracting the substance. He held it high so that she could she. Amelia scrunched her face slightly and touched the cold lump, instantly recognizing the texture.

"Ok but what was it doing in the fridge?" He seemed so proud of what he had done but she couldn't understand why.

"Because" he said tearing a big chunk and molding it into a ball with his little hands, "it tastes better when it's cold" and with that he put it into his mouth.

"SPIT THAT OUT!" Amelia shouted alarmed as she bent down to open his tiny mouth; she would take it by force if necessary, she had no idea whether the paste was poisonous or not but wouldn't take any chances. Luckily, upon her scared display Adam spit the blue thing now covered with saliva to his hand, his eyes were wide with shock.

"It doesn't taste bad, really" he assured her.

"Honey" she said a bit relaxed by his funny statement and placed a hand on his shoulder "that thing can be poisonous, don't ever do that again, ok?" Adam nodded but she wasn't calmed, how much had he eaten of that thing before? She would take it to the doctor to be sure he was ok.

"Come" she said taking the bin from under the counter, "Threw it" the little boy did as was told and she grabbed his hand still covered with cold saliva.

"Go to the bathroom and clean your hands and mouth before daddy gets here so we can have breakfast" Adam pouted but again did as was told and run upstairs. Amelia washed her hands on the counter before going back to the fridge to get what she wanted.

After scanning the shelves for a few seconds and without the "Magic dough" distraction she was able to found the bottle with the formula. She unscrewed the lid and poured less than a quarter of its content into the baby bottle. It was still early for him to be up but she liked to be prepared, after all when Cassie had been a baby she would wake up at different hours always hungry.

A cold sweat spread through her skin and tears started to form. Cassie, what had happened to her girl? She felt a knot forming on her throat and opened the water so she could splash her face, she didn't want for them to see her cry anymore. She could still recall exactly what had happened that day and many days after that.

_It had been a Saturday; she woke up at seven o'clock when the light had started to sip through the windows. She got up and went to take a shower, Cassie wouldn't be up until two hours after, or so she thought. After she got out she changed into her old sweat pants and light shirt, today since she had woken up early, she would do some work on the garden until Cassie was up. Her mother, Jane, was surely sleeping late today since she had had a late shift in the hospital where she was a nurse, so she had a bit of time for herself._

_She went downstairs and to the garden. The grass was too high for her taste, and the bushes needed some pruning so she took the lawnmower from the shed as well as the pruning shears. The lawn was the first thing she did since it was what she despised the most, they had a large garden which implied a lot of grass. _

_She had been on her task for about twenty minutes or so when she heard the yell._

"_Jake?" Kate's pleading voice scared her and she stopped the machine. Something was not right._

"_Kate?" Amelia asked approaching the fence she shared with her neighbors. Through the boards she could see Kate desperately looking for something, she assumed it was Jake, behind her she saw Nick with his "pirate" like pajamas._

"_Amelia?" the woman looked her way and run to the fence, her lovely small face was starting to show signs of panic, the little boy run to her and she picked him in her arms, somewhat afraid he might disappear. "Have you seen Jake?" Her voice was trembling and her eyes were getting red, "Is.. did he stay again there with Cassie?" her tone was hopeful but also pleading, "I've told him not to do that or to at least tell me where he…"_

"_Kate" she almost hated herself for telling this, "Jake is not here, I haven't seen him since yesterday in the basketball match" Kate looked as if she was about to faint but didn't, she glanced around once more and told her, "I can't find him, I went to their room to wake him up so he would be ready for practice but he wasn't there, I've looked everywhere! He is nowhere in the house and…"_

"_Ok" Amelia said placing her hands on the boards as if it were the crumbling one on the other side, "Breath, I'm sure he is fine" she assured her, "You know how Jake loves to do things on his own, he could have gone out to buy groceries for all we know" her silly joke worked and Kate relaxed, a nervous laugh escaped from her lips as she rocked Nick at a dizzy pace, she wondered how the kid hadn't complained by now. She took off her gloves and straighten her hair, "Just in case we are going to go look but he will be fine" Kate nodded and let go a deep breath._

"_Honey?" Jane's voice surprised them both and Amelia turned to look at her mother. She was at the door, her grey hair tousled due to sleep. She took a few steps closer and her tone was concerned when she saw Kate on the other side of the fence "Is everything ok? I heard someone yelling" Jane walked to where they were and Kate apologized and explained what had happened._

"_Oh, I'm sure he is just having fun" Jane said sweetly "but it's better if we make sure. I'll go and see if he hasn't sneaked into Cassie's room again" she laughed and the younger woman followed, "I'm telling you" she started to walk back to the house "those two are going to be a problem when older"_

"_Let's go check outside" Amelia suggested and Kate nodded, an invisible weight seemed to have been lifted off her shoulders, and she had stopped rocking Nick who was undoubtedly thankful for it._

_She entered the house and went through the kitchen and living room until she reached the front door and exited the house. She met Kate and Nick on the sidewalk and started their search. They looked in the bushes and trees of both gardens and in both garages but when they were out of "hiding" spots they branched out and searched in the other neighbors front gardens and even went to the grocery which was empty. Kate became more and more anxious with every passing minute; they asked the few people who were awake at the time but nobody had seen him. _

_After half an hour Amelia convinced Kate to return to their homes, they would call Jake's coach and ask him if he was with him and would see if Jane had found him, after all they had spread in such a hurry maybe Jane had found him but couldn't find them. She could be waiting outside, sitting on the porch with Jake and Cassie playing on the grass._

_But that had not been the case, and when they returned Jane was outside next to a neighbor from the block and at the bridge of panicking. Cassie was gone too, she had looked everywhere, had woken up the neighbors who had gone to look for them as well, and Mr. Lockman a fifty years old war veteran had stayed to take care of Jane and wait for them to return._

_After that the coach arrived and helped them search, after forty minutes the whole town was looking for them. Amelia at first was convinced it was nothing, they could be in a place that they missed, and then this whole mess would have been for nothing but the annoying pang saying it was not like that started to get worse and worse by the minute._

_They searched for two hours, nothing happened. Two more hours and a false alarm later, and nothing. Three more hours and Kate, Amelia and Jane were a rack of nerves. At five in the afternoon rumors spread of two dead bodies down the river and the pain became unbearable but it had been, again, a false alarm; a couple of kids had seen some strange looking lumps under a tree and their imagination had run wild but it turned out to be the tree's roots._

_They didn't find them that day, or the next one, or the next one. Days painfully transformed into weeks, weeks into months. After a year without clues nor suspects the case got cold, and nothing was the same again. _

"Amelia?" Ethan's soft voice took Amelia out of her train of thought, she had cried after all so she turned her back on him and wiped away her tears. Soon she felt his arms around her and took comfort in the familiar warmth.

"I started to think about Tom and how he sleeps all night and I remembered how Cassie woke up every hour, and…" she sighed "but I'm ok really, I am" she hugged him back and he gently ran his hands through her back.

"Have you not heard?" his voice was trembling, fear, hope, pain and relief mixed together. Without breaking the embrace she asked unaware of his seriousness "No, what?"

"They found them"


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hello again! I have been giving it some thought, and although very few people read this I decided to continue, I like this story and I would like to see how it plays out. If you enjoy it then that's great, if you don't that's ok too. _**

**_Thank you to Wiccancharmedjournals and the guests who reviewed it was really encouraging to see that you liked it and wanted it to continue._**

**_There is no Cassie in this chapter because I felt I should explain what happened with Amelia since that will higly affect her reaction to finding Cassie again (when she does). Next chapter there will be grown up Cassie!_**

**_I hope you enjoy, have a great night! (here it is night anyway)._**

_They found them._

The words lingered in the air, like a cloud that enveloped them both. It took less than a second to understand what he said, and even less to know whom he was speaking of.

Amelia's body felt alive, her hands got warm and her mind was working at full speed trying to decipher reality. _Cassie is alive? _She dared to ask herself, to feel hope grow in her and give her a much needed air.

She needed to know.

Breaking the embrace, she looked up to Ethan's eyes. They were kind as always; she could still see the boy who had given her her frist kiss, the one who had made her feel special and loved, and cherished. Now those eyes were filled not only with love but also concern, happiness, fear.

She searched deep and could not find what she had feared all this years. It gave her hope.

Before she could speak Ethan explained, his hands firm in her back. "I don't know how they are," he said looking intently at her, trying to convey exactly what he wanted. He didn't know whether the kids were alive or dead, she needed to be prepared but God, did he wished Cassie was alive! The chances of that were slim he knew that, they both did, they had been like that for a long time. He admired Amelia, how she had remained strong and hopeful, everyday she woke up thinking about Cassie and every night she fell asleep wondering, longing.

When they found out they were expecting a child it was a bitter sweet feeling. A baby is always a blessing but he knew it would be difficult. Sometimes she was happy, and wondered how Cassie would be with her new brother. Other times she felt a pang in her chest fearing she may never meet him, those days were the worst.

"All I know is that they were taken to the hospital…" At that moment Amelia gasped and he stopped confused by her reaction. Her face was fill with mixed emotions.

"The, the hospital? They are alive?" she started rambling and took a step back, "Why would they be at the hospital if they weren't alive, I mean… it means they have to be alive! Right?" She fixed her green eyes on him and begged him to say yes but he just couldn't find the words, he wanted to say yes so badly but what if he was wrong?

"Wait," she said passing a hand through her hair nervously "Why are they at the hospital? How were they? I…" she looked around trying to make sense of things.

Ethan closed his eyes and massaged his temples. The very little information he had received before running to find Amelia had been less than encouraging.

"They were found at a side of the roads next to the woods, they spent all night there. I don't…"

Instantly, she took a hand to her mouth and her eyes widen, hot tears escaping from them. "Oh," she cried, "Oh my god…" her chest went up and down at an impossible speed and she was at the verge of a panic attack when suddenly she straightened up and put her hands to the sides.

"I have to see her" she said. The images of Cassie and Jake lying in the cold dirt all night were more than she could handle. She needed to see her, make sure that her baby was alright, that she would dance again, climb the woods trees again, kiss her as fondly as only she knew how. She wouldn't panic, not anymore, not when her daughter needed her.

"I'll get the kids," he said taking something from his pockets and handing it to her "take the car, we'll catch up." Amelia took the keys and kissed him gently on the lips before running out of the house.

Ethan wasted no time in picking up the kids.

"Adam!" he called as he ran up stairs.

"Dad!" Adam said getting out of the bathroom and running to him, he hugged his legs tightly glad to see his dad was home so early.

"Son, listen," he put his hands in his small shoulders and tenderly broke the embrace. "I need you to go and change, ok? There is little time I'll explain on the way."

Adam looked at him confused but nodded and headed to his bedroom.

Now he had to wake up Mat.

Amelia drove unaware of her surroundings, only stopping for a red light or a street pedestrian, there was no need to be reckless. She tried in vain not to think about what she might find in the hospital.

Luckily the ride was short since the town was small and she was soon on the parking lot of the medical facility. She got out and practically sprinted towards the door and inside the place, paying no attention to the people outside, if she had she would have seen the pity and compassion in their expression, the news had come less than five minutes ago.

As she entered the place she went to the front the desk where Carmine, a 30 year old brunette, was working.

"Carmine," she called her once she reached the desk, the woman who was busy filling out paperwork didn't hear her. "Car…" she said louder but was cut off by another voice calling her name.

"Amelia!" she instantly turned around and met her gaze. Her mother's voice made her shiver and a cold sweat spread through her skin. Her tone was heartbreaking, it could only mean…

As soon as she saw her eyes filled with sorrow and sadness all her worst fears became true. _Cassie… _Her world collapsed as pain ripped through her.

"NO!" She yelled helplessly "No! No!" warm arms surrounded her but it only made her feel worse.

"I'm so sorry" her mother cried in her ear, "God… I'm so sorry, my angel" she kissed her head as she kept on screaming, her own eyes filled with burning tears, her granddaughter, her angel was gone forever.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for your reviews! I hope you like this chapter :)**

12 years later.

Cassie had no true memories of her life before the age of five, before she got to the coven. Her clearest memory started with a warm, sturdy hand holding hers as they ascended the cement steps. No matter how much she tried that was as far as she ever got, with that hand on those steps; her memory had been wiped, they had all found out sooner or later, her family if she ever had one, her name and place of birth.

"Welcome home Sophie" a forty year old woman with dark hair and golden skin had said when Cassie and the older woman that was holding her hand entered the house. At that moment, and though it felt strange for a second, Cassie was no longer Cassie and was now Sophie.

_Sophie_, her mind had repeated reassuringly, that was her name. She had been born in – France where her family had abandoned her and of whom she knew nothing about, she lived there until the age of three, after which she had been transferred to an orphan in Britain. The history settled in her mind ever since, obliterating her previous life.

They were special they told them, different from others. You see the coven's initial purpose was to help witches ever since young ages. They would be protected by elders who taught them not only how to practice magic but how to control it as well. It was there that new circles were formed; better ones, because they were not bound by blood but by choice. Witches could choose the members of their circles, and by doing so they would be loyal to each other, on the contrary to traditional circles where capable witches had to bear with lazy, stupid or power cravers. However, after centuries of great work, elders began to realize just how powerful they were: they could create and transform circles at their will; they could have not only their power but also the one of the circles at their disposal. Soon they began to exploit children, mold them into their will and pack them in circles according to their abilities. Children were not allowed to leave, a tracking spell made any attempt useless and severely punished.

After seven years in that coven Sophie and other witches did what was thought to be impossible and escaped, making sure they could never be found. Forty witches were freed that day form their coven, most of them left to live on their own, others in groups of twos or threes, Sophie's group was the largest with eight; Tina, Katherine, Thomas, Jenna, Turi, Sophie, Coly and Esteban.

Now, five years after the run, five of them had settled in New Orleans, United States. The fear of getting caught and the need for a place to live and food and clothes helped them to develop their magic rapidly. After only two months they had arrived to the United States, fake passports could only do as much and so the "Mind illusion" spell helped with the obstacles that came in their way.

New Orleans had been Tina's suggestion since she was a big fan of a show that took place in the city. Once they found a house big enough for them the decision was made to stop using witchcraft, at least in a broad magic circuit. Five young witches without a circle family history living in the same house would be suspicious enough, and in order for the word not to get out they choose to practice only in the house and to share or help friends who could be trusted.

Sophie was in high school, with Coly and Thomas a year behind her. Katherine was one year left to complete her PhD, after which she could work as a social therapist and would be able to charge two hundred dollars from the start; the career was perfect because it would not only provide them with enough money but she could also work anywhere else if they had to move. Tina worked as a freelance translator, her knowledge in English, Spanish, Russian, French and German allowed her to maintain a great variety of clients as well as a succulent income. Just like Katherine her job allowed her to move if the occasion required so.

Sophie had intended to work helping Tina since she was fluent in three of the five languages as well as Tina, however a different opportunity was presented during a busy Thursday morning. While in the coven, one of the elders, Marnie, had taught Sophie how to sew and make patterns, abilities that she rapidly developed with practice. Sophie liked sewing, she could be alone for hours comfortable without the necessity of speaking to anybody else. When she grew up and started to enjoy the company of others she dedicated herself to create new designs instead of settling in the classics. Most of the girls in the coven started to ask her for different designs in exchange for house tasks and she was more than happy to oblige.

When they were already in New Orleans, Tina had left a Thursday morning in order to make some errands. On the bus stop a twenty seven year old secretary admired Tina's jacket, and she told her it was her "sister's" design. The woman asked for Sophie's number and she soon called her to ask her for a simple cocktail dress for her company's party. Sophie's beautiful design, prolixity and cheapness made of the dress an instant success among the secretary's colleagues.

Sophie was not a professional, only working by order even though everybody encouraged her to do so. She just did not believe that she was capable of launching a brand of the quality she wanted, she enjoyed taking her time with things, making it as well as she could, and making copies of the same clothes over and over, having to follow tendencies was not something she wanted. The job was good though, she had learnt from her mistakes and charged a fair price for her designs, not like before when she did it for almost nothing.

Life had been good for all of them. Having each other made things a lot easier and they were beginning to move past the horrible memories from those years.

Katherine was in the dining room, books spread all over the table as she struggled to complete the assignment due for next class. She glanced at the clock and was surprised when she saw it was already 6:45 am, Tina and Sophie would be up soon. She looked at the hallway, where she knew their bedrooms were and back to her books with a frown on her face, after four hours of work and merely two hours of sleep her brain was not functioning right, and she knew she would not be able to write another word of her essay unless she cleared her mind. She got up, stretching her sore muscles, and cleared of the table, setting the books in an empty chair next to the window.

She started to prepare breakfast, lazily opening the fridge and taking out the ingredients.

"Morning" Coly whispered as she entered the kitchen and kissed Katherine on the cheek. She was wearing a pajamas consisting of light blue cotton shorts with a simple loose t-shirt, her feet dragged all the way and her eyes were barely open.

"Morning" Katherine grinned, she just loved to see their sleepy faces and the clumpsy way that they acted when they had to go to school. "Are the others up?"

The girl frowned and walked to the kitchen door, "Nope, I don't think so"

"Will you go and wake them?" Katherine looked up and saw it was 7:12 am, she silently cursed for the way time seemed to run during the morning. "They are gonna be late" over the sound of the crispy bacon she heard Coly's feet dragging toward the hallway.

"Ok" Tina said for the tenth time that hour. Coly, Thomas and Sophie had two hours ago to school and Tina and Katherine had stayed in order to meet Celia who was supposed to have news about the situation in the north. Sophia had wanted to stay with them, after all she was the one who helped Celia the most but they decided she should go to school and they would tell her afterwards what the situation was, thankfully it wasn't anything urgent. Celia was forty minutes late and was starting to get into Tina's nerves, consequently into Katherine's nerves, "Should we call her again?"

"We called her five minutes ago, give her some time, she'll show up" Katherine turned the TV on and surfed through the channels until she found The Simpsons.

A couple of minutes later the bell rang and Tina went to open the door. In the threshold she found Celia, her long legs covered with simple jeans and her slim torso wore a light cotton shirt that went down up to her butt.

"Morning beautiful" Celia greeted with a grin as she Tina stepped aside and she entered the house, "Sorry It took me so long, apparently Kyle's cousin had tried to trick his girlfriend into sleeping with him by telling her that everybody would die or something like that" she shook her head, "and you know as much as that girl is sweet she is dumb, and you won't believe the things Kyle casts when he is angry, there was this one time with a senator…" she was talking as fast as someone could and both girls knew that if they didn't stop her now, they might never will.

"I'm sorry" Katherine interrupted with a sly smile "but what news do you have?" she tried to be as polite as possible, and although some other could have taken her interruption as rude and ill-mannered Celia was not one of those people.

"Oh! Right sorry sweetie" she looked around slightly nervous.

"Is there something wrong?" Tina asked concerned as she too looked around searching for any threat.

"No, just looking for Sophie, is she here?" she smiled warmly and relaxed in her seat.

"No, she had school and thought it was better if we told her afterwards" Katherine explained.

Celia looked disappointed for a second but instantly cheered up, "That's ok. So… hum, news. There haven't been any changes in the area. Whatever it was it's gone now. Probably not their cup of tea?" she shrugged, not very much concerned about it.

Tina and Katherine relaxed. Strange events had been happening up north, five towns had been affected, Witthjack, Chance Harbor, Klenn, Goodwith and Brother's town. All signs pointed to dark magic and if it had continued they would probably be asked to check on it due to their fair knowledge of the dark arts. Their biggest concern however was Sophie, very few knew just how powerful she was and most of them lived in the house, on the exception of Celia and Ruth, a middle age woman who had a bit of dark magic herself.

"Probably" Katherine conceded "Any clue of what happened?"

"Well the majority of the… Emm _events _have been in Chance Harbor but there is a circle there, with young witches who are still learning, so they are probably the ones to "blame" "

Tina didn't look convinced, "But still, Cecil the things that we heard…"

"Yes," she sighed and bit her lower lip, something she did when she was stressed "I know they are not your usual kid's stuff but it explains a lot" Cecil shrugged her shoulders trying to assure her that the worst was over.

"I don't know…"

"Let's ask Sophie" Katherine suggested, "she has always had a good instinct for this, let's see what she thinks about it"

Tina looked at her and smiled, relaxing more with the idea; Cassie was bright, had it not been for her they would never have escaped the coven.

"Great, we'll talk tonight." Katherine smiled and got up.

"Well Celia thank you for coming" the woman got up as well and hugged her, "and good luck at the wedding" she added laughing.

Celia sighed and hugged Tina who laughed as well. "God! Am I going to need luck" she shook her head. She waved the girls goodbye and reached for the door when suddenly she stopped.

"Wait!" she said slapping her head, "I think one of the families that are coming is from Chance Harbor" she thought about it for a while and nodded "Yeah, two actually the Blakes and Conants I think"

Katherine's eyebrow rose up and she looked at Tina who was smiling, this could work to their advantage.

"You know…" Celia said with a mischievous smile "You girls could take my offer and come to the wedding" She had been a bit disappointed when the girls had said that they couldn't go to the party though she knew that they all worked hard, plus the date for the wedding had been settled with little time notice. Besides she couldn't ask much, they barely knew the couple.

"Wouldn't that be a problem?" Tina asked confused "We already said no, what about the seat positions?"

Celia waved it off and snorted, "_Pleease_! That's not problem at all, we still have a week for the event, the thing is your works babes" she said pointing at them.

"Well my trip got re scheduled to three weeks from now, and Coy is old enough to stay and take care of the rest." Katherine explained.

"My contract with Camelia A.S was put on hold. I am not too sure how Cassie is going with school and work though…" Tina trailed off.

"We didn't say anything because we thought…"

"Oh girls!" Celia said smiling, "Please, you just come, go and talk with the families god knows I'll do research on my own, and enjoy the party" she hugged them again and cheerfully left the house.

Upon her departing Katherine sighed, "At least we got something" she said with a frown.

"I hope we get more at the party or we may have to pay a visit to that harbor place"

"Great, small town and teenage witches, sign me in for that treat." Tina replied sarcastically.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! I hope you are having a great weekend! I now, this chapter can be a bit confusing but don't worry I'll try to explain everything as the story develops. Hope you enjoy!**

Celia stepped outside and rapidly walked toward her home only three blocks away. The whole mess with the bride to be had been bugging her for more than four hours and she had had to run to get to the girl's house before they left to work. Now, as she practically sprinted through the streets she hoped Sophie was still waiting for her at her house.

It had all started two months ago, when Sophie had the first nightmare. It had only been a glimpse of a memory, a wooden room and a faceless group of people so it was easily mistaken as a dream and soon forgot about it. That was, at least until the next night when the dream continued. That time she heard it, and it became the only thing she ever heard, repeated over and over; _Orgarta Kemyfka. _Though the words meant nothing to her she recognized the old language; it was primal, possibly one of the firsts ever used to invoke magic.

At first she considered consulting with her friends but as she remembered the pain and fear, she refrained from doing so. If that was a memory, then they could all have gone through it. She did not want her new family to remember that unless it was completely necessary: she decided then she would find out as much as possible and then reveal the results, they would choose whether they wanted to know or not.

So she consulted with Celia and Ruth, the only trustworthy witches she knew. Celia was skeptical at first, after all a blinding memory spell did not break just because, it had to be undone by the same magic that conjured it in the same conditions and with the express consent of the affected.

However Ruth explained that that was not the case when it came about black magic beholders. As powerful as it was, the magic kept its host in a healthy state hence no diseases nor mental illness. The same happened when they were cursed, black magic overrides the effects of the parasitic spells.

The situation in which Sophie currently was was not so easy. She had began to heal herself, yes but the fact that it had not happened sooner was an indication of very powerful black magic, hence a conjuration would be necessary to complete the cleansing, that is if it could be done without her hurting. Magic this powerful could have taken measures so as to be sure it could not be removed.

The conjure would only be possible in the next two days and the last ritual had to be done that day in the next hour, otherwise it would lose its effectivity.

Sophie couldn't risk any suspicion by missing school or acting strange so she had tricked the professor of the first hour into not going to class, a very simple spell was responsible. Luckily the young witch was quite clever and responsible, most young witches were either too eager to practice magic and ended up causing trouble or too scared to learn and ended up, of course, messing things up eventually. But not Sophie, she knew what she had to do, when and how. She had a strong set of morals though a bit of a bad temper from time to time.

She could already see her home at the distance and took the key out of her pocket. Reaching the front door she opened it and was glad to see the young witch sitting in the dinning room.

"Thank god!" she said closing the door behind her and dropping her purse in the couch to her right. "I was afraid you had to leave"

"Don't worry, I still have…" she paused as she looked at the clock in the green wall, "fifteen minutes before I have to go." she said smiling. Suddenly her phone rang and she quickly read the message.

"It's Kat," Sophie informed "Just briefing into what you told them."

"I hope they said good things about me." Celia said winking at her.

Good thing she thought, the girls had not noticed anything strange and she had arrived on time, the spell only took two minutes at most. "Ok! Let's get started." Celia stepped into the dining room. She looked around searching for the caster, "Where is Ruth?" she asked furring her brows, she should be there preparing it.

The woman in question appeared from the backyard through an old wooded white door. Ruth was a commonly looking forty-eight years old woman. Her face was kind, her lips small and nose chunky. Her eyes were her most appealing feature, they were big and of the color brown almost coal, nevertheless she always used them warmly and it was impossible to picture her differently.

"I'm here, I'm here. Just finishing up" she said as she placed a ceramic bowl in the table. She took four small grey mushrooms from her jacket's pocket and showed them to Sophie.

"This is how they have to be, the stalk slightly paler than the head, it usually after ten days of solar exposition after the chanting has been said, if the part under the head…" she turned one upside down so that Sophie could see. The girl leaned closer so she could see better the small, sort of ruffled form below the head of the mushroom, "… is green on the tips it means it needs more time in the sun. If the green spreads then the mushroom was not good and it is of no use."

Celia watched fondly at Ruth and Sophie. The older woman was known for having absolutely no patience or tolerance when it came to teaching but it was for a good reason, there weren't good students. With Sophie it was different; it was more like talking to a colleague instead of a child, one very eager to learn. Whenever either Celia or Ruth spoke, she would pay them her entire attention, eyes expectant and a small smile on her lips.

Sophie nodded, "Now we have to break them?" she asked remembering this particular spell in the book.

"Break them?" Celia asked confused. After all the mushrooms were supposed to be shredded.

"Yes," the other woman said handing her the little grey things and placing the bowl in front of her. She turned her attention to Celia "Because this was done with black magic it has to be undone with it. This ritual is old in our kind and it was done differently since we do not simply chant the spells but become a part of them, Sophie must use her energy into all the ingredients and the chanting itself following the same rules used to make the spell the first time"

"And how do you know whoever did this did it old fashion? He could easily have done it like we do it." Celia retorted.

"No if that person wanted to curse someone a black magic beholder." Ruth said slightly annoyed. Ten years they had been friends but the brunette still could not understand that black magic and simple magic were two different things.

Sensing her mood, the other witch dropped the argument.

"So…" Sophie said breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence and looked at them both, "Should I start?" She had less than seven minutes before she had to return to school, skipping class was not an option since Katherine received a monthly update of her attendance, and having another professor miss school would raise suspicions.

"Yes dreary, sorry. Go ahead, just ask if you forget something."

Without any more saying Sophie put her small hand on top of the bowl and carefully pressed her finger tips on the sides before quickly lowering her palm and then lifting it once more. She took her hand off the bowl and Celia leaned closer, curious to see what she had done inside.

The mix of dry plants, black sand and cut feathers was swirling at the rhythm of an invisible force. The substance behaved like water creating waves that occasionally crashed against the sides of the recipient.

She rapidly took the four mushrooms, hit them softly against her left hand and grabbed them from the head and stalk with both hands before breaking them. Only, and to Celia's surprise they did not break. She watched with wide eyes as the stalks began to stretch like gum, their center becoming thinner and thinner until it broke and a shinny substance was visible inside. Sophie squeezed the honey-like paste into the bowl and watched how the two things combined into a black and glowing thick paste.

"And now?" Celia asked holding her breath.

"Now," said the blond witch looking at Ruth "I think I can say the spell." The woman smiled confidently and took the book out of her other pocket, searched the right page before handing it to her.

After casting the words she put some on her finger, the texture now was like scorch with water both solid and liquid, and looked at it with an amused expression, she wished she had the time to play a bit with it before continuing.

"Now I have to…" she said and spread the mix along her right cheek. It felt cold and rough for a second before it warmed up and she could not feel it anymore "Spread it through my face" she informed Celia who watched in amazement how the dark paste blend with her creamy skin.

The brunette ran a finger over her cheek and noticed no signs of the dough. "Amazing" she whispered.

Sophie smiled at her tone before she filled her hands with the substance and spread it all over her face and neck. Again, the cold feeling lasted less than a second before it disappeared.

"It's all gone" Ruth announced touching her forehead and moving some strands of hair from her face.

"Do you think it will work the same?" Celia asked both witches, "That it will take the same time?"

The two looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "I suppose so," said Sophie "Though I guess only time will tell."

"Remember that it may not work, after all we don't know how they exactly did to erase your memory." Ruth reminded her with a gloomy expression.

Sophie left the house after saying goodbye to Ruth and Celia and after promising for the tenth time that she would let them know if there was any news.

She walked distractedly to the bus stop two blocks away. The days were getting warmer, if only a little and she had already seen a few cherry trees starting to blossom. The white and pink dots displayed in the slim branches always made her smile, a contrast between the soft and rough.

A middle age man was at the stop along with a small boy that could have been his grandson; he was kicking a rock from the sidewalk to the street as the man warned him to be careful. As she sat down the man politely saluted her and she did the same before taking a book from her backpack and faking to concentrate on it. Her mind swirled through the possibilities of the spell and her possibly memory gain, once again she wondered what she would find besides those fearful images, they had all been through so much in the coven, _just how much worse could things get for us?_ She asked herself.

_No_, she thought, it was over, it was all over. She was stronger now, they all were, they were finally safe.

She checked to see if the bus was near by and was pleased to find it was only three blocks away, she would get to school in time. The man called the small boy who had gone around the block, she could still hear him and the rock, rolling and hitting against the sidewalk. When he returned the man did not hesitate to take his hand and gave him a quick hug, softly patting his shoulder.

Sophie smiled at the image, how the kid rested his head against the man's leg as he kept on playing with the rock in his hand. _They are just like granny and I _she fondly remembered.

_Wait, what? _Sophie thought confused, granny? _What granny?_ She wondered, and just like that she remembered a warm embrace and a gentle face, the woman loved the child in between her arms. She could not distinguish her; the harder she tried the more blurred the face became but it was there and it was real. Sophie knew then that it was a memory, the spell was working. _I had a grandmother, _she realized_, and she loved me._

**Uhh... it seems Cassie/Sophie is remembering :O See you soon!**_  
_


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